When I became a children’s librarian the most nail-biting aspect of the job was, without a doubt, storytime. Granted, this may have had something to do with the fact that part of my training meant doing a storytime for adults. Kids, as it turns out, are a completely different ballgame. My earliest attempts at reading […]

To be fair, every single picture book, with the exception of the wordless ones, is a readaloud. You’re not supposed to just silent there silent and stony when a child’s on your lap. Picture books are meant to engage through the voice of the reader. That said, not all of them do well when it […]

They All Saw a Cat By Brendan Wenzel Chronicle Books $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-4521-5013-0 Ages 4-7 On shelves now It’s funny. Unless you’re a teacher or librarian, a grown adult that does not work or live with children will come into very little contact with picture books. Then, one day, they produce a few kids and […]

Who Broke the Teapot?! By Bill Slavin Tundra Books $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-77049-833-4 Ages 3-5 On shelves now In the average life of a child, whodunits are the stuff of life itself. Who took the last cookie? Who used up all the milk and then didn’t put it on the shopping list? Who removed ALL the […]

One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree By Daniel Bernstrom Illustrated by Brendan Wenzel Katherine Tegen Books (an imprint of Harper Collins) $17.99 ISBN: 978-0-06-235485-3 Ages 3-6 On shelves May 3rd Like any children’s librarian, I like to assess each picture book that crosses by my eyeballs for readaloud potential. While every picture book (even […]

This is the kind of award librarians should know about and don’t tend to. For anyone searching for good picture book readalouds, this list is invaluable. Read on: Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy Announces 2016 CLEL Picture Book Awards Shortlists Denver, Colorado, December 15, 2015 – Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy (CLEL) announces the Shortlist […]

Robo-Sauce By Adam Rubin Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri Dial (an imprint of Penguin Books) $18.99 ISBN: 978-0525428879 Ages 4-6 On shelves October 20th. When I whip out the old we’re-living-in-a-golden-age-of-picture-book-creation argument with colleagues and friends, they humor what I’m sure they consider to be my hyperbole. Suuuuuure we are, Betsy. Not prone to exaggeration or […]

Hug Machine By Scott Campbell Atheneum (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-4424-593509 Ages 3-7 On shelves August 26th Do you remember that old Shel Silverstein poem “Hug O’ War”? This may be considered sacrilege but did you ever notice how the guy could do something brilliant one moment, like “Sister For Sale” […]

The Grudge Keeper By Mara Rockliff Illustrated by Eliza Wheeler Peachtree Press $16.95 ISBN: 978-1-56145-729-8 Ages 4-7 On shelves now. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that the phrase, “There’s no use crying over spilled milk” was invented with the intention of comforting a two or three-year-old. Small children, one learns, […]

The Simples Love a Picnic By J.C. Phillipps Houghton Mifflin Harcourt $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-544-16667-7 Ages 3-7 On shelves now I am on a mission. A quest. A journey to find the funniest picture books published for children in a given year. It isn’t an easy thing to do. First, you have to deal with the […]

By the way, I’m having a baby in late May. Did I fail to mention that before? Having a blog is so awfully odd, because you’re never quite certain how much to tell (and the case of Melissa Anelli just drills that home). That said, I’ve been running into a lot of friends and folks […]

Have You Seen My Dragon? By Steve Light Candlewick Press $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-7636-6648-4 Ages 2-6 On shelves April 8th When I grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan I would get this little thrill every time my city appeared in a children’s book. Which is to say, every time it was mentioned in Horton Hatches the Egg. […]

Nino Wrestles the World By Yuyi Morales Neal Porter Books – Roaring Brook Press (an imprint of Macmillan) $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-59643-604-6 Ages 3-7 On shelves now If there is any topic on the lips and minds of librarians, teachers, and other gatekeepers it is the state of multicultural literature for kids today. Seems a week […]

Maria Had a Little Llama / Maria Tenia Una Llama Pequena By Angela Dominguez Henry Holt (an imprint of Macmillan) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-8050-9333-9 Ages 4-8 On shelves August 20th Ladies and gentlemen, I stand before you a humbled woman. A woman who “knew” certain facts but, until she saw them working in her own personal […]

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About A Fuse #8 Production

Features everything from librarian previews of upcoming children's books to news, reviews, and videos. If it has something to do with children's literature, it will rate a mention here.

Betsy Bird is the Youth Materials Specialist of New York Public Library. She's reviewed for The New York Times and Kirkus, writes articles for Horn Book and SLJ, and wrote the picture book Giant Dance Party. You can contact her at Fusenumber8@gmail.com or follow her on . . .